Renowned Derry community worker Maureen Hetherington wins to top for her efforts in peace building
ONE woman’s leadership and creativity in peace building and dedication to positive dialogue in contentious situations has been recognised with a prestigious award from the Community Relations Council (CRC).
For over 25 years Maureen Hetherington has worked in community relations in Derry-Londonderry. She is Coordinator of the Junction, a centre within the city walls which she established in 2000, to support all those engaged in the difficult and often isolating task of building communities.
Her creative approach led to the development of storytelling as a tool for healing and is central to the Towards Understanding and Healing Project which enables people to share their stories in safe spaces.
In this decade of centennial events she has been involved in a project ‘Ethical and Shared Remembering: Commemoration in a New Context’ which looks at ways of dealing with contentious commemorations. Thousands of participants have taken part, finding ways of sharing their histories and culture in a positive and inclusive way.
She has also been involved in the project to achieve City of Sanctuary status for Derry.
As part of this work a Friendship Club engages minority groups and locals throughout the city in shared cultural learning to enable them to integrate and participate more fully in society.
A risk taker for peace, her experience and knowledge of conflict resolution and mediation training has resulted in her working in the Balkans, Middle East, South Africa, Cyprus, USA, Canada and Norway.
CRC Chief Executive Jacqueline Irwin says: “Maureen Hetherington has been instrumental in developing pathways to peace and reconciliation in her home city from her days as community relations officer of Derry City Council.
“She led the way with her creative vision for the Derry, taking risks, establishing relationships and building the stepping stones for peace in communities that had been polarised due to our conflict.
“Her innovative approach has developed throughout her years of experience and she now shares this knowledge across countries recovering from conflict while continuing to work at home building the vision of Derry as an ethical, shared and inclusive society.”
The Community Relations Award for Exceptional Achievement has been presented annually since 2006 by the Community Relations Council as a mark of recognition.
This year’s award was presented as part of Community Relations and Cultural Awareness Week, which features almost 200 events on the theme ‘One Place Many People’.
It was presented following the annual David Stevens Memorial Lecture in Parliament Buildings, Stormont given by Rev. Harold Good entitled ‘The WD40 of making peace – what can we bring to the conversation?’
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